May 18 2012

11:37 PM

IRVING, Texas -- Chad Campbell said his backyard in the nearby
suburb of Colleyville is about 500 yards from the backyard of his
fellow PGA TOUR-playing neighbor, Ryan Palmer.

Palmer put the distance in golf terms.

"Probably a 5-iron away," he said.

Campbell

As close as their homes are, those two friends couldn't be
any closer on the leaderboard through the first two rounds of the
HP Byron Nelson Championship. Each is at 6 under and will go into
the weekend in a six-man logjam at second place, one shot behind
36-hole leader Jason Dufner.

Campbell and Palmer first met during their high school days in
west Texas -- Campbell was born in Andrews, Palmer in Amarillo.
Palmer and Judd Burkett, Campbell's caddie, played on the same high
school team at Amarillo High and were next-door neighbors at one
point when Palmer first moved to the Metroplex. Palmer's caddie
James Edmondson is also part of the close-knit group.

"He and Judd are two of my closest friends out here, for sure,"
Palmer said.

But the conversation doesn't always turn to golf. Asked if he
and Palmer discussed last year's HP Byron Nelson Championship, in
which Palmer lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley, Campbell said,
"Not too much ... We're definitely friends and talk but not really
about anything in particular."

Although Palmer and Campbell live in the same neighborhood, it's
mostly at PGA TOUR events where they hang together. "I never see
him at home," Palmer said. "It's always on the road."

Palmer

For a long time Friday, it appeared Palmer and Campbell would
spend 18 holes together in the final twosome on Saturday. They were
the first two players to finish at 6 under, and no one was able to
jump ahead of them on the leaderboard.

"I hope it works out because it will be fun with James and Judd
and Chad and I," Palmer said after his round. "We're real close and
the family and friends we have in town, we could be the popular
group tomorrow."

When Jason Dufner grabbed the late late in the day, it appeared
Palmer and Campbell would not be together. But because so many
players made the 36-hole cut – 79 in all – tournament
officials opted to switch the usual twosomes on Saturday to
threesomes going off both the first and 10th tees.

That means Campbell and Palmer will be together in the final
group along with Dufner. You can expect the hometown fans to
cheer on the chasers.